Saturday was the party to celebrate

Josie’s first birthday.
Children of all ages

showed up. Before long,

they split up

into little groups

with others

with whom they

shared common interests. Isn’t that the way it usually happens?

“Girl, you know you got that right!”
Anyway, as the afternoon progressed, the “Birthday Princess” proved that

you can have your cake and eat it too…

or at least fix it so no one else wants to eat it.
Then it came time for presents.

Alexis, who in the grand scheme of things, is not very far removed from age one, and who has a little sister

who is one, brought the perfect gift.

She colored a toilet paper tube and presented it to the birthday girl,

who really liked it.
So, the next time you are faced with the task of coming up with a present for a one year old, consider a toilet paper tube……just sayin’.

Last Friday, while I was in Target, I bought the boys (and me) a basketball. After lunch, Hudson came over, spied the thing, started playing with it.

I showed him how to dribble. He asked, “Mammy, were you a basketball player back in your day?” I answered, “I sure was.” He said, “My friend Caleb is a basketball player.” When I told him that he could be one too, he replied, “I know,

but I’d rather be a ninja.
A few minutes later, Denton came through the front door. I heard Hudson say, “Denton! Did you know that Mammy was a dribbling champion!”

I’ve taken most of the summer off as far as writing is concerned. I guess you could call it my silent period. But, I’ve come out the other end of that, so I’ll catch you up a little.
That girl from New York, the one that went waltzing across India,

is back. She brought home an unusual instrument

that has only one string. She doesn’t know what it’s called, but it’s a twangy sort of thangy. Joel used it to accompany himself as he sang “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”, but that didn’t work out too well for him…or anyone else for that matter.
The other girl from New York will be here until Thursday morning, when she will shuffle off to Buffalo. But for now she and Katie

are enjoying each others company.
Donna, who got married on her birthday,

is now working at Woodworth Family Medicine.
And Josie

turned one on August 16th.
The twins are still in full form. As a matter of fact they came over this morning. I decided to let them release a little of their energy by

mowing the front yard. They had a fabulous time.

They use a free style mowing method, and there is no method to their mowing.

When they finished, it took me longer to connect the remaining dots than it usually does to mow the whole yard. But, that’s alright…it was their first time to mow.
When I got those dots connected I went inside where they had enticed Lyndsey

to make them each a snow cone. After she got the ice ready, I helped Hudson build his snow cone. Then I turned to help Denton, and out of my mouth came, “Wait, what have you done?”

He said, “I just wanted the juice without the ice.” I replied, “I just don’t see that happening.”

That girl from Buffalo, New York,

the one that stayed here, has actually worked out pretty good for us. For one thing,

she has served as our chauffeur for the last month.
Besides that, she does laundry, washes dishes, empties the trash every day, and cleans out the refrigerator once a week. AND, she’s becoming quite the country girl…

retrieving eggs from underneath a setting hen,

taking care of the baby ducks,

and the little chicks. She’ll wade off into just about anything

to get the job done, and she’s learning to be

quite a cut-up.
We really hate to see her go.

As a matter of fact,

we are sort of in denial, and unable to make sense of why she would

do a thing like that.
She say’s she needs to finish school because

aims to work at the Smithsonian. But, if she changes her mind (or comes to her senses) there is always a place for her here at the Jaques Institute.